FG Moves to End Examination Malpractice, Sets 2026 Deadline for WAEC, NECO CBT

The Federal Government says there is no going back on plans to switch the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) starting in 2026.

Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa made this known on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

His comments follow growing concerns about the credibility of public examinations, especially after statistics from the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) showed that over 1.5 million out of 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400.

Reacting to the poor UTME performance, Alausa said it reflects the difference in how examinatios are conducted in Nigeria.

“That is a big concern, and it reflects examinations being done properly,” he said.

“JAMB conducts its examination using a computer-based testing system. They have implemented strong security measures, so fraud or cheating has been nearly eliminated. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO.”

The minister said a thorough review of the country’s examination systems was conducted shortly after he assumed office.

“We carried out a diagnostic review of how examinations are conducted nationwide. I set up a committee to investigate this, and I expect to receive their report in the coming days,” he said.

He explained that the transition to CBT would begin with objective questions from November 2025 and be fully implemented, including essay papers, by the May/June 2026 examination season.

 “We have to use technology to fight this fraud. So many ‘miracle centres’ exist, which is simply unacceptable.

People cheat during WAEC and NECO examinations and then face JAMB, where cheating is nearly impossible. That is the disparity we are seeing now. It is sad.”

Alausa said malpractice discourages genuine students who work hard.

“The worst part of cheating is that it disincentivises the hardworking ones.

If I am preparing for WAEC or NECO and I know some classmates already have access to the questions, I will still study hard

.

No, I will be tempted to join them. That is how good students are corrupted, and that is precisely what we must stop.”

On whether the mass failure in UTME is due to poor learning or poor monitoring, he said both are true, but cheating remains a significant problem.

“We are addressing the quality of teaching and using technology, including online classes, to support learning from primary to secondary levels.

However, the pervasive cheating in our high school examinations—especially WAEC and NECO—is the core problem.

JAMB is almost 100 percent fraud-free, but WAEC and NECO still have significant lapses.

Our youths are intelligent, capable, and energetic. The environment corrupts them, and we are determined to fix that.”

He added that the government had consulted with WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBAIS on the shift to CBT and that all stakeholders are on board.

 “By November this year, WAEC and NECO will begin CBT examinations. There is no going back on that.”

In April, the Ministry of Education formally directed WAEC and NECO to adopt CBT by 2026. WAEC had already run a pilot CBT examination for private candidates in 2023, with over 8,000 students participating.